Blowing hot and cold

The energy debate will be back on the agenda with a vengeance this week with publication expected on Wednesday of the UK government’s Energy White Paper and, separately, its strategy for renewable energy.

The latter is tipped to include an aggressive policy of support for expansion of wind energy as the cornerstone of the nation’s renewable power infrastructure.

Sparks are flying even before any announcement. The CBI today warns that giving too many incentives to wind risks deterring private investors from backing alternatives such as nuclear and clean coal, leaving the UK’s energy mix dangerously skewed towards one source.

Wind sceptics will also doubtless point out the pitfalls of a local planning system that makes the construction of new turbines a lottery. The manufacturing sector will not appreciate the bitter irony of watching the UK’s only significant turbine production facility, Vestas on the Isle of Wight, preparing to shut its doors even as central government support for wind is ramped up.

Even as the UK wrestles with its own energy policy, a consortium called Desertec is due today to announce further details of ambitious plans to harvest solar power from the deserts of north Africa to supply a significant portion of Europe’s energy needs.

Proposals to use Africa as a giant battery for Europe are likely to cause their own controversy and the scale of the project is mind-boggling, but nobody can accuse Desertec of lacking ambition.

Finally, look out for plenty of build up to the fortieth anniversary of the first moon landing a week today, without doubt one of the greatest achievements of technical endeavour the world has seen.

If you have a view on the UK’s energy policy, let us know by using the Comment on this Article button.

Andrew Lee, Editor

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It seems absolutely crazy gearing up for wind power. Prof Ian Fells’ paper made it quite clear it will not meet our needs for the future. The supply is variable requiring twice as many farms to supply the expected 2020 shortfall. There are very limited days per year to construct offshore, there is a huge waiting list for the construction equipment. We must invest in coal without desulphurisation if we have to, get bigger supply lines from France and Scandinavia and build nuclear power stations as quick as we can. If we do that we may avoid power cuts.

What’s the betting that The White Paper and the Energy Strategy are pointing in different directions?
I reckon there is a battle royal going on between DECC and the old DTI (BERR), namely Mandelson vs Miliband.
We just get to hear the sound of distant guns.

I was at the launch of the latest climate change projections for the water industry last week, and it was interesting to see that whilst Defra was represented in force, no-one was there from DECC, the department which actually has “climate change” in its title. It seems that there is a battle going on within government about who will be responsible for our response to climate change.

One interesting comment came from Dan Norris, Minister for Rural Affairs & Environment: only 20% of the population currently think climate change is a serious problem, and in a democracy you have to take people with you rather than simply dictate to them. As this 20% grows then the strength of response will increase. Expect more, and tougher, steps to be taken in future. And don’t start planning on coal-fired power.